Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak's (PBDS) former executive secretary Susan Ngau who was reported to have been sacked o­n 24 hours for releasing party files without authority to certain individuals, today claimed that she had "resigned voluntarily".

Ms Ngau, a lawyer by training, told malaysiakini that before Chinese New Year she wrote the party's secretary-general Stanley Ajang that she wanted to leave "before the coming triennial delegates conference (TDC)".

She said she received a letter signed by Ajang, who is also the state assemblyperson for Belaga, o­n March 3, 2003 accepting her letter of resignation.

Asked to comment o­n reports that her leaving the party had something to do with party files being released to certain party individuals without authorisation, she replied that there was nothing confidential in the files that she handled in the office.

She added that as far as she was concerned any member could have easy access to files o­n the number of branches in each locality. She denied passing o­n any files to anyone else.

"The confidential files are all kept in the strongroom by the party deputy president Daniel Tajem and Stanley (Ajang)," she said.

Paid three months salary

She denied media reports that she is now working for a company belonging to party vice-president and corporate leader Sng Chee Hua.

"If I am going to join his company it is because I have to earn a living."

Sng is being promoted by a dissenting faction in the party to be deputy president in the coming party election. The same faction wants information chief Dr James Jemut Masing, who is also the state minister for social development and urbanisation, as president.

The other faction favours incumbent president Leo Moggie, but should Moggie decline to stand, it is backing deputy president Daniel Tajem for president and party treasurer-general and member of Parliament for Julau, Joseph Sallang Gandum.

Meanwhile, a top party leader who asked not to be identified told malaysiakini that Ms Ngau was paid three months' salary in lieu of notice o­n March 3 when Ajang sent her the letter. Contacted later, Ms Ngau confirmed that she had received the three months' salary in lieu.

"Please try not to speculate too much o­n the matter. I want to be out of the scene," she said in a telephone conversation from Penang where she has joined her husband.

Reliable sources told malaysiakini that Ms Ngah was in fact sacked for breach of work ethics but as a compromise was asked to write in her resignation instead. The secretary-general's letter accepting her quit notice was part of an agreement that included the payment of the three months salary in lieu of notice.